bittersweet symphony: weekend recap

With a new season quickly approaching, I feel a shift in myself. I love fall. I love the fresh crisp in the air, I love everything that comes with this season. (Except when the Highland Hornets go to playoffs!)With that said, I am still trying. I just want to be happy, healthy and mindful.

I don't want to forget this weekend. I want to remember the little things, each step along the way. Seeing the light in everything.

Friday night: A quick dinner at Applebee's with my family (because I didn't feel like cooking). The last family dinner we will have on a Friday night for at least 12 weeks due to friday night football games. Sure I will take the boys and we will go visit eddie at one of the home games. Riley will follow Daddy around, while I try to keep Brady off of the football field and the sweet band moms will try to distract him with homemade cookies. I can't wait to hear the band play some Bon Jovi. After dinner, it was home for bedtime. Eddie put the boys to bed while I packed up some brownies and went to grab my sister in law missy. We went to Sarah's vineyard. Oh my goodness! Such fun and good wine! thank you Cec, Nancy, Mis, and Karen (we missed you Courtney!) I can't wait to go back! And get the table with the fire pit.

Saturday, cereal with the boys, early morning grocery shopping. Tag teaming, eddie off to do his errands - he needed some back to school ties and a visit to the butcher. Playing outside with the boys, coming inside to make riley's favorite lunch: Egg salad. To which he says" I would LOVE to help you mama! Getting a text: the D'Amicos are coming over for dinner @ 5:30! Get lunch cleaned up and start the mad dash in getting the house cleaned up! (why do we only clean when company is coming over? anyone else do this?) Eddie getting chicken to grill. Making salad & mac and cheese. Sitting down with friends who have had a whirlwind 2 months. Getting to see & hug JD for the 1st time since June. Getting him a Sunkist. So good to see him up and about. And he was grateful for the change of scenery. He is a changed man, not just physically - he will bear those scars for the rest of his life, but changed in heart, mind, spirit. As he was talking, I got goosebumps. I just love that guy and (joanie and Jordie too!) and so thankful my boys get to call him Uncle Jim. And watching Jordie play with our bubble machine? delightful in her bare toes. After the boys went to bed, Eddie went back over to their house to watch the Browns trounce on another team. I watched some DVR'd shows with a brownie ice cream sundae, looked at my scrap table.

sunday. An interesting sunday school lesson about leaders. As our fearless leader was gone, another church member stepped up and lead our class. It was fitting. We made it through church (well riley and I did) Brady couldn't handle it after being left behind at the children's message. Dinner at Grammie & Papa's. Such a tender place to be as Meem continues the good fight. Aware of the need for everyone to kiss and touch meem and tell her hello. Lifting Brady up so he could kiss her cheek. Feeling her hand reach for you knowing she might not know who you are, but she knows you are there. For her. For Pop. For her daughter. For her son. For her grand kids. For her great grand kids. Sitting next to my sister in law observing the insane chaos that is now family dinners. Can you pass the butter, Cec? To others this might be too much to take- but this is family, Ohana, and I wouldn't change it. And besides after dinner, you can always send at least 9 of kids downstairs to play! Laney is the only one on this side of the gate, but not for long. Going home putting Brady down for a lap. Listening to Eddie and riley play ball on the stairs, or take a break and watch some James Bond movie (with Roger Moore as Bond). Sitting down to my scrap table and actually work on some pages. working on easter 2008. Brady wakes up. All the boys go outside to play. Get lost in laundry and paper and glue while I enjoy some quiet time. Boys come back in - get the full report from Riley - we played 4 sports mama: soccer, football, baseball and rode bikes! Washing dirty feet and a dirty baby. Nothing beats a baby fresh from the tub in some jammies sitting on your lap. Even if this baby is 2 years old, 31 pounds and has a stuffed bear and cow in his lap. Cuddle next to riley watching the last of the James bond movie while Eddie checks on fantasy football and Gary the Gecko on his laptop. Putting the boys to bed with books and prayers. Looking at older pictures and can't believe they were ever that little, cute, tiny, happy and sweet. Our cup runneth over. Putting newer pictures in Eddie's frames to take to work. turning off my scrap light at 11:00pm realizing it's time to sleep and start the week all over again.

I don't have many pictures that go with this post. But if you are still out there, I promise to post lots of pictures this week and a lot less words...